Politically Unfriended
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Politically Unfriended
April 30, 2017
I'm grateful just to be at the Lord's table.
Facebook fights.
Been in a disagreement you regret?.
How many have had disagreements with other people? Christians?
FCF
We all have a tendency to want to sound smart and clever, and sometimes the pursuit of ‘being right’ leads to relational disintegration. Happens a lot now on Facebook. Experienced this?
“If you wrestle in the mud with a pig, both of you will get dirty, but only one of you will enjoy it..”
Hurt the testimony of Christ. Leaves you frustrated Loses friends.
How do I display Christian maturity in a world that loses it over every little disagreement?
Proposition: since differences in perspective and value are unavoidable, we must learn to value leaving others better more than being “right”. others
Wrong question: what do I think about this?
Based on what I understand about their spiritual journey, how can I be a benefit to this person?
Background:
Jewish and non-jewish Christians in Rome The super-problem is conflict over differences. 3 sins of these Roman Christians
Judgmental (looking down upon others),
adversarial, prioritizing prideful “right’ over love
(NLT)
1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.
3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves.
12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.
13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
You can't change other people's response, but you can model maturity and having the right goals. make that go better ...
Three Questions for the Politically Unfriended
1. Am I Honoring The Liberty God Has Given People To Be Different From Me? (Humility)
3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
You’re not the perspective judge (v. 1)
Lit. Passing judgment on their opinions. You’re not the opinion police. God responds to what people, know, and how mature they are. Your only AT the table is by grace.
Don’t argue with them! God didn’t invite you here to argue.
There is liberty to not be a clone of you
Stand for Justice, but also for liberty. There is liberty for each person to be convinced in his own mind without looking down on others. (v3) We need to be careful to quit trying to remake everyone in our own image. Cut people some slack They're not my servant. Christians have the right to do or think something without being looked down upon or despised by their brothers & sisters.
Some of you spouses are just way too controlling.
More than one right way.
Especially if we’re talking about a Christ-follower, God has accepted them
We need to practice just naming people and saying, “God has accepted them”.
God has accepted them!
Jesus likes their sincere devotion, even it is still in process.
3 . . . for God has accepted them.
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord
When you look down on your brother or his worship, you are looking down upon what the Lord sees as precious.
I like my kid's little notes, even if you don't like the grammar.
Jesus has got their back, it's be nice if you did too.
When you judge them, you’re acting like they need you, but they don’t - they need Jesus. The Lord holds them up, not you. They are not sustained by your judgment of their perspective, they are sustained by ME. Jesus didn’t invite you to the table to condemn your brother.
Wether it’s about social media, the worksite, the classroom, or your own marriage,
Worry about your own inconsistencies more than other people’s.
1 Accept (them)
Accept them. Just love the version they are. I guess they can think whatever they want to think, and thinking different than me, is something the Lord uses and delights in.
You're not the emperor and most people don't care.
I'm grateful just to be at the Lord's table
2. Is This A Hill Worth Dying On? (Perspective)
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat.
Are you serious? Family members are becoming estranged over food. This isn’t even like a good reason. You’re not even going down with the ship about the deity of Christ. This is stupid. This is petty.
Examples of Peripheral stuff
Democrat or republican issues or candidates, breast-feeding What constitutes 'gourmet' Styles of music that are more spiritual than others. Gifts of the spirit. Views on the end times.
Socks in the laundry? Is this worth WW3?
If it is not in the Bible, it is not worth taking a bullet.
Make room for differently calibrated consciences that both love Jesus. Some are more tender than others. Some have a different gift/passion mix than others.
Non-negotiables if your a Christian
Who is Jesus There ARE legit die for this issues. Who is the Holy Spirit What are the Scriptures. do you have to trust Christ or just be a good person Is hell real? God Loves people Everyone is a sinner
Is this a command or just wisdom?
I’ve been guilty of intentionally presenting wisdom as a command. Should you own a credit card. Should you use time outs with your kids Should you drink rockstar Should you buy exclusively apple products
Questions to ask before you post:
Is this a command or wisdom? And should I be careful to talk about it that way? Do i have a chapter and verse on this? Can I really say, “the Lord has said”, and point to it in the Bible?
Context: Even if it is a “die on this Hill” issue, is Facebook the best place for this?
Does this topic make sense to a watching spiritually undiscerning world? Is this an insider conversation? There are conversations my family will have at the dinner table that we won't have at the neighborhood barbecue
Am I focusing too much on one way people can obey this instead of it being very open-ended?
When to engage someone: Depends
Can this person/people play nice? When you can personally connect with them. When you’re confident this public display will adorn the gospel to a watching world.
Based on what I understand about their spiritual journey, how can I be a benefit to this person?
3. Am I Building This Person Up? (Focus)
19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
You’re not just an Island. You have a responsibility to live of the Lord in a way that positively impacts others.
Even if you’re right, if you don’t love, you’re still not right.
Paul does answer the question about what is right, but it is a side issue to him.
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
Don't say anything (if it tear them down)
Christian reserve, a skill that’s sometimes overlooked in our social media age. There’s no glory in rubbing people into the ground.
With Jeremy, I don't bring up some of our very distinctive differences, because it goes nowhere, and I love my brother.
You can have a strife-filled relationship, or you can focus on what you have in common, and get along great and enjoy one another.
You don’t need to ‘go public’ with all of your political opinions, especially if church unity is at stake. Don’t post stuff that is designed to produce angry passion about your pet peaves or doctrines.
Speak more to what Scripture says and less to how to accomplish it.
Works the Other way too. You can unfollow people that drive you crazy. I don't even follow y'all anymore
Say something, but in a way that doesn't make them look stupid.
Sometimes people are incorrect about bullet issues. If you really care, correct them off line. It is okay to confront people for their good, Facebook is just like the relationally highest stakes way to do that. Have a personal conversation offline. Demonstrate love and respect. Paul implies that those in positions of power should work extra hard at empathizing and honoring those in positions of weakness (see ).
Even if they're dead wrong, Affirm anything you can
thanks. This helps me see this issue from another angle.
This could save some marriages
To avoid going nuclear
Don't be surprised that people say crazy things
Am I surprised that people who don't know Christ act like they don't?
Am I oversimplifying a multifaceted issue? Am I picking a fight? Don’t post stuff that is designed to produce angry passion about your pet peaves or doctrines.
If you want to be competitive, try this: Who can build up more people? Am I leveraging my relationship with them in a way that helps them grow? Let Facebook press you into God’s word, so you become stronger, without becoming the Bible police.
Jesus lived and died and rose for us to be at the table.
Based on what I understand about their spiritual journey, how can I be a benefit to this person?
I'm grateful just to be at the Lord's table.